Following the filing of a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Pomona has agreed to adopt reforms to address anti-Semitism and improve anti-discrimination protections for Jewish and Israeli students Washington, D.C. (December 10, 2025) – Today, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Hillel International, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced a settlement with Pomona College to resolve claims that the College permitted severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish students in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As part of the settlement, Pomona has agreed to adopt a comprehensive set of significant reforms designed to address anti-Semitism on campus, enhance protections from discrimination for Jewish and Israeli students, and align its policies and practices with Title VI and federal guidance. Under the terms of the settlement announced today, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Definition of Antisemitism (IHRA Definition), including its contemporary examples, will play a meaningful role in Pomona’s evaluation of anti-Semitic conduct. Pomona’s Non-Discrimination Policy and related training will be updated to reflect use of the IHRA Definition in identifying anti-Semitism. The College’s website will be updated with detailed guidance on the Non-Discrimination Policy to provide clear, practical explanations of how anti-Semitism – including anti-Zionist harassment targeting Jewish students – violates Pomona’s policies and Title VI. Pomona’s website will also be updated to include information on the IHRA Definition and OCR guidance, and the College’s President will issue institutional messaging affirming that anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism can constitute prohibited discrimination and harassment under Title VI. Pomona has also agreed to appoint a Title VI Coordinator responsible for overseeing the College’s compliance with Title VI and to ensure that the investigation and adjudication of anti-Semitism complaints are overseen by administrators trained to understand modern manifestations of anti-Semitism. Pomona will also implement significant policy updates governing student conduct, including strengthened time, place, and manner rules for demonstrations, including updated policies on flyers and event registration; an explicit prohibition on masked protests (modeled on the University of Virginia’s “Concealment of Identity” policy); and a revised Encampment Policy that includes clear definitions and enforceable prohibitions. In addition, the agreement provides that the College will re-engage as a full participant in Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) and will also establish an Advisory Council on Jewish Life and Anti-Semitism, which will include representation from the Executive Director of Claremont Hillel and Claremont Chabad. The College further commits to making good faith efforts to work with the other Claremont Colleges to adopt numerous policy reforms, including enhanced time, place, and manner rules governing demonstrations and protests and a prohibition against demonstrations that promote harassment or violate Pomona’s revised Student Conduct Code. This comprehensive settlement will resolve the OCR complaint the organizations filed in April 2024, which described anti-Semitic hostility and discrimination skyrocketing on Pomona’s campus following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel. For details on incidents of anti-Semitism at Pomona College, please refer to the original press release here. OCR opened an investigation into the allegations in the complaint in August 2024. “After October 7, Jewish and Israeli students and teachers across the country were forced to live in fear on their own campuses. But there were many, including those at Pomona, who exemplified strength and stood up to the bigotry and hatred that threatened them,” said Hon. Kenneth L. Marcus, chairman of the Brandeis Center and the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education who ran the Office for Civil Rights. “The action steps outlined in this settlement will address the blatant and egregious anti-Semitism faced by Pomona’s students, therefore protecting students from facing similar treatment in the future, and we hope it encourages others to take legal action against those who violate our constitutional rights.” “Jewish students at Pomona deserve to feel secure and welcome on their campus, just like every other student,” said Adam Lehman, President and CEO of Hillel International. “This settlement shows what’s possible when institutions take responsibility and commit to meaningful reforms designed to ensure Jewish students can learn and thrive. These include a specific prohibition against anti-Zionist harassment when it targets Jewish students in violation of their civil rights, a commitment to full participation in Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative, and facilitating programming on Jewish identity, including the Zionist component of Jewish identity. We’re proud to have worked alongside the Brandeis Center, ADL, and Arnold & Porter to achieve this outcome and believe that this will serve as a roadmap for other schools.” “Today’s settlement marks a critical turning point for Pomona’s Jewish students, faculty, and staff. The comprehensive reforms negotiated with Pomona touch nearly every aspect of campus life, and we welcome the college’s significant, multi-faceted commitment to fighting anti-Semitism on its campus,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “With the reforms in this agreement, we expect meaningful and urgent strides toward Pomona’s promise of creating a safe and welcoming environment for its Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff.” The parties negotiated the agreement with the support of an OCR mediator.